Francestown approves extension of town office hours

The Francestown town offices will be open 4.5 additional hours each Wednesday after the Select Board gave its approval on Jan. 28.

According to the Francestown town website, the Select Board’s office is open from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday. Board members Betsy Hardwick, Scott Carbee and Abigail Arnold recently agreed to the hours extension.

Administrative Coordinator Michael Branley wrote in an email on Monday that there will be no increased staff hours due to the change, since he is typically in the office during that time. And since Branley is a full-time salaried employee, no additional wages will be necessary for any overtime hours.

Branley said the official office hours are when the board guarantees someone will be in the town office, but often someone is there at other times.

“We want to try to broaden the hours we are open to better serve our residents and taxpayers,” Branley wrote. The morning hours in which the office is currently open may not work for everyone, he said, so the additional 4.5 hours should give residents more access.

The Select Board also discussed the possibility of opening the town office on a non-meeting night, but decided to look into that at a later date.